No Ragrets: Ron Washington says he doesn't regret leaving Braves in NSFW interview

Former Atlanta Braves third base coach Ron Washington is glad he left for another big-league managing opportunity. That in itself is no huge surprise. Washington was a successful manager with the Texas Rangers before coming to the ATL. In the Braves clubhouse, he was beloved.

So, when Washington says he'd rather be managing the Angels than an assistant coach with the Braves, I believe him. However, Washington got rather defensive when reinforcing his decision with Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

“I ain’t no damn failure," Washington says. “I’ve never been a failure in my damn life. I might be failing, but I ain’t no failure. There’s a difference. I’m going to do what it takes to not fail. I’m not going to let it just keep happening to me and say I’m a failure. [Expletive] that. I’m going to do what I have to do to come out of it."

Let 'em know, Wash!

Ron Washington doesn't regret leaving the Braves in the slightest

Washington was a fan favorite in Atlanta, and in his early-70's many wondered if he'd every take a big-league job again. However, the first chance he got, Washington made the most of it. The Angels are in a rebuild, yes, but they have a veteran leader who has been there before. They've also lacked Mike Trout for much of the season.

“We just have to learn how to win. It takes time. It’ll be different next year," Washington reiterated.

You have to love Washington's spirit, and his willingness to go on the record with Nightengale. He believes in this Angels organization, even if they're expected to sell at the trade deadline and add young piece for next season.

“I haven’t had a sleepless night since I took this job," Washington said. “This record isn’t anything what I hoped, and we’re not playing like I expect. But we’ve got such a young team. There are nights when we’ve got everyone on the field making the minimum salary."

Beyond Trout, the Angels don't have much else on the active roster. Losing Shohei Ohtani turned out to be a fatal blow for Los Angeles, and something they couldn't recover from this past winter.

Washington is the right leader for this franchise, and his willingness to back up his decision to become manager in the first place is a great sign. The Angels got a good one, even if Braves fans don't love some of his words.